In decking and frame construction, it is often desirable to provide a blind or invisible interconnection between the decking boards and the underlying supporting joists. This desire is accentuated with decking that is exposed to the open environment as the exposed connectors may be susceptible to oxidation, leaching and similar environmental affects. Various connectors and decking designs have been proposed to resolve this issue. Though some designs have successfully decreased the aforementioned problems, issues still remain with hidden fastening of decking.
Decking systems commonly include a series of joists supported by a frame. The joists are aligned parallel to one another. Decking boards are connected to the joists and spaced adjacent to one another. Often, a gap is left between the decking boards to allow space for expansion and contraction of the system, specifically expansion and contraction of the decking boards, without damaging the system.
Decking fasteners are used to connect the decking boards to the joists and to one another. Decking boards are commonly mounted perpendicular to the joists such that each decking board is supported by multiple joists. A decking fastener may connect to both the joist and the decking board to prevent the decking board from moving with respect to the joists. Often, fasteners are mounted at the edge of a decking board and further connect to the adjacent decking board. Thus, a single fastener may fix a decking board to both a joist and an adjacent decking board.
Hidden decking fasteners are used to hide the fastener beneath the surface of the decking board and away from harsh environmental elements. However, as many decking designs include a space between the decking boards, many hidden fasteners are still visible from above and are still susceptible to environmental elements. Additionally, many decking fasteners require the use of nails, screws, bolts, and other extraneous hardware to connect the fasteners to the joists. This hardware complicates assembly of the deck. Therefore, an improved decking system is needed to cure these and other design defects.